rwsaunders
09-22-2006, 05:17 AM
Emsworth man's killing shocks close-knit family
Monday, September 18, 2006
By Karen Kane, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When 42-year-old Russell Peck climbed into bed at his home in Emsworth Thursday night, the avid cycler was anticipating the weekend's long-awaited 100-mile bicycle trip that he'd been training for. But, he never woke up.
As he lay sleeping in his bed with his wife of about 12 years, she fired a shot into the back of his head. Then, according to a statement Barbra Peck gave police, she got out of bed, walked around to her husband's side and, standing above him, fired again.
As his family prepares for his burial tomorrow and his wife is held in the Allegheny County Jail without bond, a picture began to emerge yesterday of a troubled marriage linked more by convenience than commitment.
"We knew they fought," said Rosemary Peck, wife of Russell Peck's oldest brother, Ronald Jr. of Lower Burrell. "But, we never expected anything like this to ever happen to our family."
Neighbors said Barbra Peck, despite her diminutive size, had a big personality -- one they didn't like. They didn't call police when they heard shots early Friday morning because they thought she was "at it again -- killing raccoons or cats" who were unlucky enough to wander across her property at the top of a steep hill just outside Kilbuck.
The Peck clan was a tight-knit one, with three brothers, one sister, and parents all living within a 45-minute drive of each other.
Though Mr. Peck and his wife had no children, he doted on his three nieces and two nephews, serving as godfather to his brother Christopher's infant daughter, and he outfitted his 13-year-old nephew, Andrew, with hunting equipment so he could be included in the outings.
"My husband and Russ spoke every single day. Russ and his dad [Ronald Sr. of New Kensington] had season tickets to the Steelers. All the boys and their dad hunted every chance they got. We all came out for Russ' [bicycle] races when we could. We were all close -- except Barbra," said Rosemary Peck, who has been married to Ronald Jr. for 23 years.
As close as Mr. Peck was to his family, the connection largely ended with his wife, said Rosemary Peck, with one exception: "She was close to my daughter, Vanessa. In fact, Barbra called last week because my daughter had turned 17 and she wanted to wish her a happy birthday. She told her she had a gift for her."
The Peck family had gathered the weekend before his death for Mr. Peck's Tour de Strongland race in Armstrong and Westmoreland counties, a race he placed third in. But Barbra was absent, as usual.
"She wasn't around much. They had problems, but they seemed like normal problems. He would tell us she was moving out to get her own apartment. He didn't talk about it a lot. It didn't seem to bother him," she said.
Neighbors of the Pecks' well-maintained home at the top of Clearview Road in Emsworth said Barbra Peck was not shy about complaining about her husband, a skilled carpenter who owned his own contracting business. The neighbors asked that they not be identified.
"Mean and intimidating" was how the neighbor described Barbra Peck, noting that she was not surprised to hear the shots early Friday because Barbra Peck often used a handgun to fire at raccoons and stray cats that wandered onto her property.
Another neighbor said Mr. Peck was "friendly and approachable but nothing ever developed between us because of his wife. We didn't want to be around her."
Rosemary Peck said the couple had eloped about 12 years ago, after having lived together for a while. Barbra Peck had grown up on the North Side. The couple had no children together, though they had helped to raise a teenage niece for a brief period after Barbra Peck's sister and her husband were killed in a car accident a few years ago.
Barbra Peck had no job outside the home but helped her husband with their business. "She scheduled work and did the paperwork. She used to even go with him on jobs and climb roofs and things like that," Rosemary Peck said.
The neighbor said Barbra Peck had indicated she and her husband remained married because it was more convenient than trying to separate the business and their properties, which included their home and a hunting camp in Potter County.
In fact, it was to Potter County that Barbra Peck fled after her husband's slaying early Friday, though she didn't go to her hunting camp. She went to the home of a couple with whom she and her husband had been friends.
According to the affidavit from police, state police received a call about 6:30 Friday evening to respond to a woman in distress at Lanninger Creek Road in Roulette. When they arrived, they encountered Barbra Peck and her friends.
"She stated she shot and killed her husband ... at approximately 3 a.m." the document reads. After she was read her rights, police said she recounted that she and her husband had retired Friday evening but, before she went to bed, she had retrieved a handgun, cocked it and went to bed.
Once she believed her husband had fallen asleep, the affidavit said, "she fired a single shot into [his] head. After firing the first shot, she exited the side of the bed she was lying on and went to the opposite side of the bed. Standing above him, she fired a second shot. ... She stated she fired a third round before ... fleeing." She threw the gun away along a road in Warren County.
Police noted that Barbra Peck was initially taken to a hospital because she had overdosed on prescription medication.
Rosemary Peck described her sister-in-law as an intimidating figure, petite with a distinctive short haircut. She didn't wear makeup but she often sported professional manicures and pedicures and "wore the best clothing," she said.
As for her brother-in-law, Rosemary Peck described him as a hard-working man who worked long hours but "who got the most out of life." A graduate of Burrell High School, he had taken up bicycling a few years ago; enjoyed hunting, fishing and the outdoors; was a sports fan. He was a team member of Trizilla [bicycle] Racing Team. "He was just a wonderful guy," she said.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Rusiewicz Funeral Home of Arnold, Westmoreland County, where visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today. A Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. tomorrow in St. Margaret Mary Church in Lower Burrell, where Mr. Peck had been a former member.
He is survived by a grown son from a previous relationship, Derrick James; three brothers, Ronald Peck Jr. of Lower Burrell, Richard Peck of New Kensington, and Christopher Peck of Washington Township, Westmoreland County; a sister, Patricia Sellari of Lower Burrell; and his parents, Ronald and Lois Peck of New Kensington.
Monday, September 18, 2006
By Karen Kane, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When 42-year-old Russell Peck climbed into bed at his home in Emsworth Thursday night, the avid cycler was anticipating the weekend's long-awaited 100-mile bicycle trip that he'd been training for. But, he never woke up.
As he lay sleeping in his bed with his wife of about 12 years, she fired a shot into the back of his head. Then, according to a statement Barbra Peck gave police, she got out of bed, walked around to her husband's side and, standing above him, fired again.
As his family prepares for his burial tomorrow and his wife is held in the Allegheny County Jail without bond, a picture began to emerge yesterday of a troubled marriage linked more by convenience than commitment.
"We knew they fought," said Rosemary Peck, wife of Russell Peck's oldest brother, Ronald Jr. of Lower Burrell. "But, we never expected anything like this to ever happen to our family."
Neighbors said Barbra Peck, despite her diminutive size, had a big personality -- one they didn't like. They didn't call police when they heard shots early Friday morning because they thought she was "at it again -- killing raccoons or cats" who were unlucky enough to wander across her property at the top of a steep hill just outside Kilbuck.
The Peck clan was a tight-knit one, with three brothers, one sister, and parents all living within a 45-minute drive of each other.
Though Mr. Peck and his wife had no children, he doted on his three nieces and two nephews, serving as godfather to his brother Christopher's infant daughter, and he outfitted his 13-year-old nephew, Andrew, with hunting equipment so he could be included in the outings.
"My husband and Russ spoke every single day. Russ and his dad [Ronald Sr. of New Kensington] had season tickets to the Steelers. All the boys and their dad hunted every chance they got. We all came out for Russ' [bicycle] races when we could. We were all close -- except Barbra," said Rosemary Peck, who has been married to Ronald Jr. for 23 years.
As close as Mr. Peck was to his family, the connection largely ended with his wife, said Rosemary Peck, with one exception: "She was close to my daughter, Vanessa. In fact, Barbra called last week because my daughter had turned 17 and she wanted to wish her a happy birthday. She told her she had a gift for her."
The Peck family had gathered the weekend before his death for Mr. Peck's Tour de Strongland race in Armstrong and Westmoreland counties, a race he placed third in. But Barbra was absent, as usual.
"She wasn't around much. They had problems, but they seemed like normal problems. He would tell us she was moving out to get her own apartment. He didn't talk about it a lot. It didn't seem to bother him," she said.
Neighbors of the Pecks' well-maintained home at the top of Clearview Road in Emsworth said Barbra Peck was not shy about complaining about her husband, a skilled carpenter who owned his own contracting business. The neighbors asked that they not be identified.
"Mean and intimidating" was how the neighbor described Barbra Peck, noting that she was not surprised to hear the shots early Friday because Barbra Peck often used a handgun to fire at raccoons and stray cats that wandered onto her property.
Another neighbor said Mr. Peck was "friendly and approachable but nothing ever developed between us because of his wife. We didn't want to be around her."
Rosemary Peck said the couple had eloped about 12 years ago, after having lived together for a while. Barbra Peck had grown up on the North Side. The couple had no children together, though they had helped to raise a teenage niece for a brief period after Barbra Peck's sister and her husband were killed in a car accident a few years ago.
Barbra Peck had no job outside the home but helped her husband with their business. "She scheduled work and did the paperwork. She used to even go with him on jobs and climb roofs and things like that," Rosemary Peck said.
The neighbor said Barbra Peck had indicated she and her husband remained married because it was more convenient than trying to separate the business and their properties, which included their home and a hunting camp in Potter County.
In fact, it was to Potter County that Barbra Peck fled after her husband's slaying early Friday, though she didn't go to her hunting camp. She went to the home of a couple with whom she and her husband had been friends.
According to the affidavit from police, state police received a call about 6:30 Friday evening to respond to a woman in distress at Lanninger Creek Road in Roulette. When they arrived, they encountered Barbra Peck and her friends.
"She stated she shot and killed her husband ... at approximately 3 a.m." the document reads. After she was read her rights, police said she recounted that she and her husband had retired Friday evening but, before she went to bed, she had retrieved a handgun, cocked it and went to bed.
Once she believed her husband had fallen asleep, the affidavit said, "she fired a single shot into [his] head. After firing the first shot, she exited the side of the bed she was lying on and went to the opposite side of the bed. Standing above him, she fired a second shot. ... She stated she fired a third round before ... fleeing." She threw the gun away along a road in Warren County.
Police noted that Barbra Peck was initially taken to a hospital because she had overdosed on prescription medication.
Rosemary Peck described her sister-in-law as an intimidating figure, petite with a distinctive short haircut. She didn't wear makeup but she often sported professional manicures and pedicures and "wore the best clothing," she said.
As for her brother-in-law, Rosemary Peck described him as a hard-working man who worked long hours but "who got the most out of life." A graduate of Burrell High School, he had taken up bicycling a few years ago; enjoyed hunting, fishing and the outdoors; was a sports fan. He was a team member of Trizilla [bicycle] Racing Team. "He was just a wonderful guy," she said.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Rusiewicz Funeral Home of Arnold, Westmoreland County, where visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today. A Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. tomorrow in St. Margaret Mary Church in Lower Burrell, where Mr. Peck had been a former member.
He is survived by a grown son from a previous relationship, Derrick James; three brothers, Ronald Peck Jr. of Lower Burrell, Richard Peck of New Kensington, and Christopher Peck of Washington Township, Westmoreland County; a sister, Patricia Sellari of Lower Burrell; and his parents, Ronald and Lois Peck of New Kensington.